Fair Use Note

WARNING for European visitors: European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.

*38 North:* *More Evidence of Possible Reprocessing Campaign at Yongbyon; Progress at Experimental Light Water Reactor* A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr. *Summary* Recent commercial satellite imagery shows new developments at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center indicating that North Korea has already begun or plans to commence a reprocessing campaign to separate additional plutonium for nuclear weapons. This activity consists of the presence of a loaded railroad flatcar at the Radiochemical Laboratory, excavation alongside the old “Building...more »

*“5 Worst Right-Wing Moments This Week: * *Donald Trump Outdoes Himself”* by Janet Allon "While Hillary and Bernie engaged in their most contentious debate, Donald Trump had a quiet week apart from a tantrum about how unfair the whole electoral process is. Ted Cruz said crazy things, but was largely ignored, even by people who paid a lot to come see him talk. The good people of New York will go to the polls on Tuesday, an event with the added benefit of finally ridding the city of the truly annoying presence of Ohio governor John Kasich. Here are some awful right-wing moments this ...more »

With crackpot Trumpsters Roger Stone and Alex Jones calling on 5 million Trump fans to show up in Cleveland in July to teach the establishment a lesson, I don't care how much money law enforcement is spending on riot gear, I'm staying away from Cleveland in July. Nor am I the only one who has come to that decision. Plenty of lobbyists will go, but Jeb Bush has already announced that he's staying away. There's a feeling of "anxiety, uncertainty and unease" among Republicans already, many cognizant that Stone has been threatening to report their hotel rooms to the Trump mob if anyo...more »

Levels have dropped in that region back to ordinary averages. I wonder if a reactor scram would require subsequent venting of radioactive gas? Or perhaps the plume came from someplace else? Radiation levels are still elevated in the far north area of Japan.

*Heavenletter #5622 Whatever the Future of Your Love..., * April 16, 2016 God said: Love arrives in many ways. Sometimes love is just quietly noticed where it always was. Sometimes love rushes in like a thunderous herd of horses galloping out of the West. There are no limits to how love can burst in bloom. Sometimes love does seem to be nothing but a magic trick, and sometimes love blossoms and lasts forever like a burgeoning rose in your heart. Sometimes, the fact alone that you know love exists is enough to put roses in your cheeks. You yourself may not have your heart's desi...more »

The Ring of Fire is exploding. In the last 72 hours, two devastating earthquakes slammed Japan, causing many to ask if they were a precursor to a major event. Soon after the quakes, a nearby volcano in Japan began spewing smoke. Now, a massive 7.8 magnitude quake has struck Ecuador, with 28 people already confirmed dead. CNN reports: A tsunami threat warning for many nations in the Pacific that followed the quake has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The forecast for some coastal areas of Ecuador still calls for the possibility of tsunami waves. At least one pe...more »

“Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Of course, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. *Click image for larger size.* This composite was recorded through narrow band filters that transmit the light from ionized hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms in the region. The resulting image highlights the bright swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas. Such embedded, dark, tendril...more »

*“Incantations”* by Chet Raymo “The other day I took house guests to visit the early ecclesiastical site of Kilmalkedar, just over the hill from our house here in Kerry. There is a mid-12th century Romanesque church, roofless, but with some lovely interior and exterior detail. Other artifacts date back to the 6th century, including a standing stone with ogham script, a sundial that shows the canonical hours, and a large slab cross beautifully fashioned from Old Red Sandstone. I wrote about this site extensively in "Honey From Stone." My favorite thing at Kilmalkedar is a stone now ...more »

“The way the soul is with the senses and the intellect is like a creek. When desire weeds grow thick, intelligence can’t flow, and the soul creatures stay hidden. But sometimes the reasonable clarity runs so strong it sweeps the clogged stream open. No longer weeping and frustrated, your being grows as powerful as your wantings were before, more so. Laughing and satisfied, the masterful flow lets creations of the soul appear. You look down, and it’s lucid dreaming. The gates made of light swing open. You see in.” - Rumi

*“The Mirroring World: We Are like Nature”* by Madisyn Taylor, DailyOm “As humans our lives are completely intertwined with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Nature is a mirror, inspiring and teaching us, deepening our sense of belonging in the world. Wherever you look, you can see that our patterns and the patterns of the natural world are the same. You can find this resonance in every form, from molecules to plants and animals and to planets. We live our lives according to the same principles as the trees, the mountains, the clouds, and the birds. We begin our lives in the womb,...more »

"If falling into desperation worked to make things better, then I would say, 'Let's all jump into despair.' But it doesn't help. The only way to truly find meaning and fulfillment is to look at the disaster, the pain, the difficulty, and know with complete certainty that good *can* come from this." - Yehuda Berg

*"10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon"* The truth does not cease to exist when it is ignored. by Marc Chernoff "You know how you can hear something a hundred times in a hundred different ways before it finally gets through to you? The ten truths listed below fall firmly into that category – life lessons that many of us likely learned years ago, and have been reminded of ever since, but for whatever reason, haven’t fully grasped. This, my friends, is my attempt at helping all of us, myself included, “get it” and “remember it” once and for all… *1. The average human...more »

"The day has been so full of fret and care, and our hearts have been so full of evil and of bitter thoughts, and the world has seemed so hard and wrong to us. Then Night, like some great loving mother, gently lays her hand upon our fevered head, and turns our little tear-stained faces up to hers, and smiles; and though she does not speak, we know what she would say, and lay our hot flushed cheek against her bosom, and the pain is gone. Sometimes, our pain is very deep and real, and we stand before her very silent, because there is no language for our pain, only a moan. Night's hear...more »

*“The Waking”* “I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Of those so close beside me, which are you? God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go. Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me, so take the lively ...more »

*TASS:* *Draft agreement in Doha stipulates output "freeze" until October* DOHA, April 17. /TASS/. A draft agreement of the oil producer countries expected to be signed in Doha on April 17 stipulates that the output will be frozen at the level of January 2016 until October, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev said in an exclusive interview with TASS on Saturday on the eve of a major off-schedule conference of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producing nations. "The draft agreement is not large," Aliyev said. "It is as follows: the states gathering in Doha have reached a conclusion that...more »

"Will we be extinguished? What difference does it make then, the ones of us who had plans, what does it matter the work we've done? The children we've raised?" He looked pointedly at Olhado. "What will it matter then, that you have such a big happy family, if you're all erased in one instant by that… bomb?" "Not one moment of my life with my family has been wasted," said Olhado quietly. "But the point of it is to go on, isn't it? To connect with the future?" "That's one part, yes," said Olhado. "But part of the purpose of it is now, is the moment. And part of it is the web of connec...more »

*BBC:* *EU 'turns page' in relations with Iran* The European Union and Iran have "turned a new page" in their diplomatic relations, the EU's foreign policy chief said on a visit to Tehran. Federica Mogherini said they had agreed to work on closer ties in a number of areas, including the economy, energy, education, migration and transport. The visit follows last year's historic nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic. She said the results of their talks would "make a real difference" to the lives of Iranians and Europeans. *Read more* .... *More News On The EU Supporting Iranian D...more »

*AFP:** In Venezuela, no toilet paper and now lousy phone service* Caracas (AFP) - Things in Venezuela keep finding ways to get worse. Because of acute shortages, people can't find basics like toilet paper. Now, it will be harder to make overseas calls or watch pay TV. The problem is this: the global drop in oil prices has made dollars much more scarce in Venezuela -- which is dependent almost totally on petroleum for hard currency. So local telecoms companies don't have greenbacks to pay international suppliers. President Nicolas Maduro's leftist government controls the currency ...more »

*WSJ:* *Castro Offers Tough Appraisal of Cuba’s Slow Progress on Economic Reforms* *Raúl Castro opens Communist Party congress with warning that country must also remain wary of U.S.* President Raúl Castro opened a four-day Communist Party congress Saturday with a tough appraisal of the government’s scarce progress in implementing critical economic reforms, and a warning that Cuba must remain wary of U.S. intentions toward the island despite the recent detente between the two countries. A month after President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Havana during which the U.S. preside...more »

Image from CNN *CNN:* *Another aerial close call as Russian jet barrel-rolls over U.S. aircraft* Washington (CNN)A United States Air Force reconnaissance plane was barrel-rolled by a Russian jet over the Baltic Sea during a routine flight in international airspace, U.S. European Command said Saturday. The incident on Thursday occurred when a Russian jet "performed erratic and aggressive maneuvers" as it flew within 50 feet of the U.S. aircraft's wing tip, Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for European Command, said in a response to a question from CNN. The Russian SU-27 began the barr...more »

Yesterday Kristen Clark filed a report with the *Miami Herald* that explains why "ex"-Republican Patrick Murphy-- now a New Dem, basically the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- is doing so well despite having so few contributors. Even above and beyond the $1,054,300 the Finance Sector has given his Senate campaign-- more than any other non-incumbent from either party-- on of Donald Trump's crooked partners is also funding Murphy's campaign. That Trump partner is Murphy's father, the CEO of Coastal Construction, the company that builds Trump's shoddy buildings in Florida. ...more »

*Reuters*: *Brazil's Rousseff scrambles for votes to avert impeachment* Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff held last-minute negotiations with wavering lawmakers on Saturday in an effort to secure crucial support the day before an impeachment vote that could lead to her removal from office. The political crisis has divided the country and turned into a bitter clash between the leftist leader and her centrist Vice President Michel Temer, who would take over if she is unseated. Rousseff canceled an appearance at an anti-impeachment rally of union and left-wing social activists led by...more »

*The Guardian*: *Nine more Guantánamo Bay prisoners released as population dwindles to 80* * Hunger striker Tariq Ba Odah among nine Yemenis released * Move announced ahead of Obama visit to key ally Saudi Arabia As Barack Obama prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the Saudi royal family has taken custody of nine longtime Guantánamo Bay detainees, bringing Obama closer to his goal of shuttering the infamous detention facility. The transfer puts the residual Guantánamo detainee population at 80, the lowest it has been in its 14-year history. The transfer also clears another statistical ...more »

[image: Bernie Sanders Vatican - 900] Economic inequality, it seems, is one of those topics people can't stop talking about these days. It was no surprise that Senator Bernie Sanders highlighted the issue in his recent speech at a conference at the Pontifical Academy of Social...more »

[image: CruzWyoming] CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Republican candidate Ted Cruz promised to roll back what he calls President Barack Obama’s “war on coal” if he’s elected president. The Texas senator made the pledge in a speech to the Republican State Convention in Casper...more »

[image: WyomingDelegateVote] CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Ted Cruz has nailed down all 14 Wyoming Republican delegates up for grabs at the state party convention Saturday, leaving Donald Trump facing yet another loss in a string of defeats in Western states. Saturday’s sweep...more »

It took me all day to get this read. Just running back and forth to the computer between chores and baking. Blueberry cobbler- Yum :) *I checked all the links and managed to find a copy of one of the books being referenced, for reading at a later date: * *Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia* *But the article below? Thought provoking. Interesting. Dot connecting. Perplexing* Sami sorcerers and Buryat shamans, connoisseurs of cryptography and ancient poisons, hypnotists and psychics, telepaths and clairvoyants – who *wasn’t* brought in to work in...more »

For its Saturday edition, the Irving press always has a Faith page. After all, the ownership of the paper is guided by its religious principles. That's why it proudly offers Christian services at its very own church. And that's why there's always a big Faith page in section C every Saturday. Except this one. It needed five pages of section C to list all the candidates for school council and Regional Health Authority elections. (I don't know whether this was paid for by the government. I suspect it was. If so, there was big money involved, too.) A tough choice would have to be made...more »

Have you ever heard of weighted blankets aiding autistic people? Well, there is mounting evidence that they are also extremely beneficial for anxiety sufferers. The best part is you can make one at home! According to David Wolfe: A bed cover to ease anxiety and help you feel better? A weighted blanket has been proven to be beneficial for sleepers. Most of the talk about sleeping centers around what one sleeps on, not under. It turns out the two should be discussed in harmony. To fall asleep on and under the right conditions will make you a dreamy blanket sandwich. A weighted blanket...more »

Discs containing ISIS propaganda were found with two drivers who worked for a private company serving the European parliament. Reuters reports: Citing several unnamed sources, Der Spiegel said both drivers – one in Brussels, one in Strasbourg – had been dismissed and Belgian police were investigating. The European parliament declined to comment because of security considerations. Belgian police were not immediately available for comment. Given other indications that some drivers had criminal backgrounds, Der Spiegel said the European parliament had decided on Monday to no longer emp...more »

[image: cubapartycongress] HAVANA (AP) -- Cuban President Raul Castro delivered a grim report on the state of the country on Saturday, acknowledging that the communist bureaucracy he oversees has failed to implement most of the hundreds of changes launched five years ago...more »

It may indeed be late (and well beyond my bedtime) but Alan at *Biased BBC *has raised some intriguing, Whittingdalegate-related concerns based on a couple of hard-hitting articles in the Sunday papers - one by Richard Pendlebury in the *Mail *and one by the famous Andrew Gilligan in the *Telegraph*. Common to both are charges that Max Mosley has been up to mischief. All I'll add to that is that Mr. Mosley was featured in *Newsnight*'s 'scoop' and made what struck me at the time as quite a remarkable statement: *Well, it's quite funny. When I appeared in front of this committe...more »

Pornography isn’t doing a whole lot of good for your brain, contrary to what you may have heard. Collective Evolution reports: I’m not arguing against masturbation or sexual play, but the fact remains a large percentage of people visit pornography sites every single day, and science is now shedding light on how watching it so frequently can impact us biologically. Naomi Wolf of New York Magazine explains: After all, pornography works in the most basic of ways on the brain: It is Pavlovian. An orgasm is one of the biggest reinforcers imaginable. If you associate orgasm with your wife...more »

Booker has picked up on my story last week re the BBC’s shameless plugging of Tesla: Why is the BBC advertising the Tesla? The BBC assures us on its website that it is “not permitted to carry advertising or sponsorship on its public services”. So, at the start of this month, eyebrows were raised when […]

[image: Police badge - 900] The Daily Caller News Foundation is attending the 17th annual White Privilege Conference in Philadelphia, being held April 15-17. The following is part of a series of articles covering events at the conference. The 17th annual White Privilege Conference (WPC) in Philadelphia got...more »

The next post (tomorrow, as it's late) will update you about *More or Less'*s EU coverage, but first... Here's* More or Less'*s Tim Harford, on this week's episode, doing that elite, pro-EU thing which* so* gets up the nostrils of Brexiteers: the belittling yawn about the EU referendum: *Ah, yes. Perhaps you'd thought we'd forgotten the EU referendum this week.Well, don't worry, *[putting on in a bored voice] *we haven't - even if I sometimes wish we could.* Oh yes, Tim of the *FT*? Rather we all move on, would you?

*Sarah Peacey, The Conversation*: *Have humans always gone to war?* The question of whether warfare is encoded in our genes, or appeared as a result of civilisation, has long fascinated anyone trying to get to grips with human society. Might a willingness to fight neighbouring groups have provided our ancestors with an evolutionary advantage? With conflicts raging across the globe, these questions have implications for understanding our past, and perhaps our future as well. The Enlightenment philosophers Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had different visions of prehistory. ...more »

Islam in England The most striking aspect of this week's *More or Less *on Radio 4, however, was its treatment of ICM/Channel 4's 'What British Muslims Really Think' survey. The programme approached it in its usual debunking spirit, and that tone was maintained throughout. Oddly though, the tone was at odds with its findings. And it felt to me as if that was because the programme was engaging in doublethink. They laid out the facts, yet sounded so sceptical about them as to sound snide and dismissive. They sounded as if they didn't want to believe it. The three types of poll were...more »

The fairytale about a Democratic wave taking back the House from the Republicans has reared its head again, this time from Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley at *Sabato's Crystal Ball*. We'll get into the crystal ball in a minute but a short version of reality is that the DCCC is so corrupted and incompetent after years and years of Rahm Emanuel-model campaigning that the organization is adept at only one thing: losing easy seats. They are incapable of winning and until Pelosi and Hoyer are gone, the Democrats will never recapture the House, not even if the top of the GOP ticket is ...more »

A new study has found that fast food contains an “alarming” amount of potentially toxic industrial chemicals like phthalates, which are used in the manufacture of plastics and adhesives. According to researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, people who consume more fast food were exposed to higher levels of the hormone-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to infertility, particularly in males The findings were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. RT reports: “People who ate the most fast food had phthalate l...more »

This week's *More or Less* on Radio 4 had me interested from the start because it discussed a question that's been bothering my colleagues at work, on and off, for weeks. In fact it's been an out-and-out 'hot topic' there: *Why is it that so many celebrities are dying this year? * Of course, *More or Less *wanted to know if there was any statistical basis for this popular intuition that our beloved celebs are dropping like flies at the moment...and counting the number of full-length obituaries posted on the BBC News website, the programme revealed that there* does* seem to be som...more »

Periodically I still run into the brain dead out there that simply do not get it....Yes, there are many brainwashed fools out there that still believe the government bullshit that "ISIS" and "Al Qaeda" are "terrorist groups" and that we are "fighting" in the Middle East against that "terrorism".... I seem to always get into arguments with these gullible people when I try to explain to them that "terrorism" and the entire "War on terror" are charades and lies, and that our crooked and criminal governments are in this "war" for nothing more than to destroy innocent nations for the "Gr...more »

*SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016Now for the rest of the story:* This morning, we has to pull the plug on a post we had planned. We had planned to ask and partially answer a question: where do our inaccurate claims and statements come from? We had planned to start with this (fuzzy but) unlikely-seeming claim, as featured in last Sunday's Washington Post: "A younger sibling is more than ten times as likely to try and succeed at stealing a base." From there, we'd planned to move to the latest debunking of one of Malcolm Gladwell's eye-popping claims. We'd also planned to ask this question:...more »

Back in 2013, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society commissioned a study of nearly 2500 working writers of various ages, genres and backgrounds to determine what these writers earned. Carried out by Queen Mary, the University of London, the results were shocking but hardly surprising. Although it was a study of UK-based writers' earnings, it seems to jibe with what I've been hearing from my excommunication at the peripheries of the publishing biz on this side of the pond. Essentially, the University of London study found that median incomes for authors both indepen...more »

Saudi Arabia has warned it would sell off American assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars if Congress passes a bill allowing the Saudi government to be held responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The warning, which sounds very much like blackmail, was delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir last month during a visit to Washington. However, Riyadh’s resolve to actually deliver on the threat is suspect, as selling off those assets would be technically challenging and would damage the dollar, against which the Saudi national currency is pegged. MSN reports: The Oba...more »

It's a funny thing because, especially having watched this morning's *BBC Breakfast,* this comment at *Biased BBC *made me laugh out loud (genuinely, rather than in the sarky Twitter sense of 'lol'): AsISeeIt April 16, 2016 at 9:04 am The BBC forced-marriage miscegenation between Charlie Statist and No-go Munch-my-spaghetti are here again to entertain us this morning. So pleased to see a castrato in a happy pairing with a feminatrix – showing the nation this is a viable life choice. BBC social agendas may well be under attack worldwide from news of hypocritical celebrity shenanigans...more »

Here's something (with a very strong h/t to Sue)... Who do you reckon said this about Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party? *If you are Jewish, how can you vote for them? How could you? For me it would be like being a Muslim and voting for Donald Trump. How could you do it? I am deeply troubled about what is going on in the Labour party. I am deeply troubled that our main opposition party is having such frequent problems with antisemitism. It really disturbs and troubles me.* *Clue*: It was the same person who signed a letter to the *Guardian *entitled 'Israel needs cultural bridges, not ...more »

Post navigation CORPORATE TENTACLES Please post & distribute. MNN. Apr. 16, 2016. Satehonawawen’akwekon, our mother unites us under one tone. The message from the occupiers of the Indian Affairs slavery machine to the public is: “Don’t give your donations to the [corporate] band council. Give it to the kids.” The Great White North! Indian Affairs has to serve us. Corporate

Tens of thousands of people attended Saturdays anti austerity march in London, carrying banners with slogans, expletive-filled placards and pig effigies! Protesters travelled from across the UK, with hundreds arriving by coaches to voice their outrage at the cuts imposed on public services by David Cameron and his government and calling on ‘Dodgy Dave’ to resign. The Guardian reports: “No ifs, no buts, no public sector cuts, and “Dodgy Dave get out, we know what you’re all about” were among the chants demonstrators bellowed as they marched from the University of Central London to ral...more »

Caroline Hawley on Lesbos This evening's BBC One *Weekend Ne**ws *led with Pope Francis on Lesbos and his 'shaming' pleas for more 'humanity' (from people like us) and for *much* more to be done (by countries like ours) in order to help the 'refugees'. Watch it for yourselves (while you can) and you'll see that this BBC bulletin gave the Pope's view, supporters of the Pope's view (including someone from *Save the Children *and Cardinal Nichols), and 'desperate' refugees' views which were wholly in line with the Pope's views (for obvious reasons) a completely free run. There were *n...more »

Ah, the things we miss when we don't follow mainstream media. I didn't even know the sports world was celebrating a rapist. This week, drinking wine in a hotel room in New Jersey, Allan and I were pleased to discover that the Red Sox were on the ESPN Wednesday night game. A nice treat, or it would have been, if the announcing team (which included one of my most disliked announcers ever) had been able to stop talking about basketball long enough to call the game. The game was often broadcast in a little box, while we were treated to the important news that hundreds of fans had gather...more »

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is seen in its hanger at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland October 28, 2015. REUTERS/GARY CAMERON *Martin Matishak, Fiscal Times:** The F-35’s Billion-Dollar Brain Fails an IQ Test* The latest problem with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? There might be something seriously wrong with the gold-plated aircraft’s brain. A Government Accountability Office report released Thursday raises concerns about the jet's $16.7 billion Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). The software is essentially the brain that enables the fi...more »

[image: US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, backdropped by the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, listens to questions during an interview with the Associated Press, at the Vatican Saturday, April 16, 2016. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says in an interview with The Associated Press that he met with Pope Francis. Sanders says the meeting took place Saturday morning before the pope left for his one-day visit to Greece. He says he was honored by the meeting, and that he told the pope he appreciated the message that he is sending the world about the need to inject m...more »

On August 24, 2014, Dutch pilot and photographer JPC van Heijst was five hours into the ten hour flight when he spotted a single intense bolt of light shoot vertically into the air. There were no other flashes or storms in the area or on their radar. Twenty minutes later, he saw the red glow. Having heard reports of earthquakes in California, Chile and Iceland, he checked for quakes or volcanic activity on the route but saw no alerts. "The closer we got, the more intense the glow became, illuminating the clouds and sky below us in a scary orange glow, in a part of the world where ...more »

President Thomas S. Monson of the Mormon Church has some good news to deliver to the Mormon faithful at the church’s next General Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s so good that those in the know expect the congregation to be ‘buzzing.’ The Mormon church is lifting its centuries-old ban on coffee! The President, who church members believe is a prophet who communicates directly with God, says he received a ‘direct revelation’ regarding the contentious hot beverage. After praying in the Salt Lake Mormon Temple about the need to ‘extend to every worthy member of the church all of...more »

*Video of the Day - Robert De Niro and the link between vaccines and autism* I applaud De Niro for sticking to his guns re the link between autism and vaccines. There's nothing like having your own son affected by the waste products in vaccine to make you an activist. I keep saying that the downplaying of "anectodal evidence' by the evil perps in our society is one of their most effective strategies in covering up the truth.

Image: University of Texas *Robert Farley, National Interest:* *If World War III Erupted in Asia* *How a U.S.-Soviet clash would have played out, based on Washington's war games.* Nearly every analyst during the Cold War agreed that, if Moscow and Washington could keep the nukes from flying, the Central Front in Europe would prove decisive in war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The NATO alliance protected the Western European allies of the United States from Soviet aggression, while the Warsaw Pact provided the USSR with its own buffer against Germany. But when th...more »

It became clear during the 2008 Democratic primary that Obama knew what was wrong with NAFTA and knew he could use it effectively as a weapon against his neoliberal, free-trade-supporting opponent, Hillary Clinton. Once Obama got into office he seems to have forgot his NAFTA-related trade promises-- and worse. We'll get to the TPP in a moment. Recall that on November 17, 1993-- quite late at night-- the House voted on NAFTA, the George H.W. Bush "free trade" bill that he tried to pass but couldn't. Bill Clinton assured Wall Street he would get done. And it got done. Clinton hired ...more »

I find it extraordinary that *The Wall Street Journal*, *The New York Times*, and *The Washington Post* have NOT run a single story in their print and online versions respectively of the earthquakes in Japan. NHK reports that the second earthquake has been measured as a 7.3, with 41 people reported dead, and over 170,000 people evacuated. How can this story not be newsworthy? The airport and port are closed and so are major roads and the bullet train: Scale of quake damage growing. NHK April 17, 2016, http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160416_24/ The major earthquakes contin...more »

*Sounds like a great reason to pass the bill! What are they afraid of? * *-AK * http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-threatens-to-sell-off-us-assets-if-congress-passes-911-bill-a6987281.html *Saudi Arabia threatens to sell off US assets if Congress passes 9/11 bill* *The relationship between the two countries has been under pressure in recent years* Andrew Buncombe New York @AndrewBuncombe Mr Obama will hold talks with King Salman in Saudi Arabia AP Officials in Saudi Arabia have reportedly told the Obama administration they will sell off hundreds of bi...more »

*Feeling the Bern, Italian-style: Bernie Sanders had a brief (five-minute) meeting with Pope Francis after all. The Pope couldn't attend the economic conference at which Bernie spoke, because he was otherwise busy comforting Syrian refugees on the Isle of Lesbos, and even ended up rescuing a dozen of them. I couldn't find video of Bernie's formal address in the Vatican, but a full transcript is here. This is the part that particularly struck me: We need a political analysis as well as a moral and anthropological analysis to understand what has happened since 1991. We can say t...more »

The Pope has taken 12 Syrian refugees, including six children, on his plane back to Rome following a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, according to the Vatican. All the asylum seekers rescued by Pope Francis were Muslims They were among thousands of people trapped on the Greek island of Lesbos following the controversial EU-Turkey deal, which sees all asylum seekers arriving over the Aegean detained as they await their fate. A statement from the Holy See press office said: “The Pope has desired to make a gesture of welcome regarding refugees, accompanying on his plane to Rome thr...more »

*"Your Radiation This Week, April 9 to Apr 16, 2016" * By Bob Nichols "I didn't say it would be easy. I just said it would be the truth." - Morpheus (San Francisco) April 16, 2016 – "Good Day, this is “Your Radiation This Week.” These are the Top nineteen (19) cities with recorded radiation highs exceeding 1,000 CPM that affected people for the past week in Your Rad Weather around the United States. Let’s get right to it. *All Radiation Counts reported are partial Counts. Uncounted types of radiation include Alpha, Beta, **Gamma, Neutron and X-Ray radiation. **Uncounted radiation,...more »

*“Propaganda”* by vigilantcitizen.com “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are t...more »

*"The Resemblance Between Your Life and a Dog"* "I never intended to have this life, believe me - It just happened. You know how dogs turn up at a farm, and they wag but can't explain. It's good if you can accept your life- you'll notice Your face has become deranged trying to adjust to it. Your face thought your life would look Like your bedroom mirror when you were ten. That was a clear river touched by mountain wind. Even your parents can't believe how much you've changed. Sparrows in winter, if you've ever held one, all feathers, Burst out of your hand with a fiery glee. You see...more »

*"FDIC Sends 19 Page letter to JP Morgan/CHASE* * about the Bank Being Unstable"* by U.S.Reporter "Depositors at JP Morgan/CHASE Bank should read between the lines - and fast! The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) has revealed a 19 Page letter sent to JP Morgan/CHASE Bank, outlining why the bank is unstable and does not meet the requirements of law. This usually PRIVATE information is a heads-up to depositors. The letter explains why JP Morgan/CHASE does not meet the 2008 Dodd-Frank Law which requires banks, whose failure would have a "systemic effect" (i.e. "too big to fail...more »

*Kerry Brown: **The Cultural Revolution: An Anniversary Steeped in Embarrassment* *The 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution will pass in silence if China’s leaders have their way.* The People’s Republic of China is run by people who like to celebrate anniversaries. The marking of the centenary of the foundation of the Communist Party in 2021–despite not happening for another five years–in some senses has already started, enshrined in the centennial goals that Xi Jinping and his colleagues have been heralding for the last year or so. Anniversaries for the start of reform (4...more »

*For some reason this is highlighting for me. Can't say I know why this pops out at the moment. Definitely unusual. -AK* http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/japan-fukuoka-covered-in-mystery-foam-bubbles-after-earthquake-a6987216.html *Japanese city covered in mysterious foam after earthquake* *The strange foam was spotted in the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka, around 90km from the epicentre of the earthquake* Katie Forster @katieforster An unexplained carpet of foamy bubbles filled streets in the centre of the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka in the early hours of Saturda...more »

Not really a 'BBC bias' thing this, more a 'Cardinal Nichols' thing... It's probably from listening to too many editions of Radio 4's *Sunday* but I've come to have a certain expectation about Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster - and that's that if a BBC interviewer asks him a straight but tricky question he'll seem *not *to have heard it and answer something else instead (a process popularly known as 'waffling'). He would make for a great 'machine politician'. Take his interview with John Humphrys on this morning's *Today*, in light of Pope Francis's arrival in Lesbos to...more »

*The Guardian:* *World’s biggest oil producers meet to discuss possible freeze on production* *Rare off-scheduled meeting between Opec and non-Opec suppliers will focus on what they can do to staunch the continued global surplus of crude oil.* The world’s biggest oil producers will huddle in Doha on Sunday in a rare off-scheduled meeting where discussion about what they can do to staunch the continued global surplus of crude oil that’s weighed on prices for nearly two years. Hopes that members in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel and non-Opec oil suppliers,...more »

The US Defense Secretary made a sail of the South China Sea aboard an American aircraft carrier, underscoring American commitments to strengthening its Asia-Pacific alliances and moving more military hardware and troops there to counter China. Ashton Carter toured the USS John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as it cruised through the South China Sea on Friday near waters claimed by China. The Pentagon chief said his presence on the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, was to send “a message to the region.” Press TV reports: “The United States intends to c...more »

President Obama at a Sept. 11 ceremony in 2015. The Obama administration argues that the bill would put Americans at legal risk overseas. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times *New York Times*: *Saudi Arabia Warns of Economic Fallout if Congress Passes 9/11 Bill* WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11,...more »

[image: Detroit Schools Water_perr] DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit’s hard-pressed school system has found elevated levels of lead and copper in nearly a third of its elementary schools, contamination that one expert says could be found nationwide, wherever school authorities spend the time and money...more »

Our world is a sailboat in the galaxy and don't get me started on the Universe been travelling in time forever and on whose dime that's the question the answer too I need to find travelling in time I am a tiny spec on the cruise ship earth which is a subatomic particle in the universe yes I am fucking small still somehow feel mighty oh the hubris that allows me to think I am important or that the Universe as expressed by God even cares if I care aboot thinking something needed for the universe to fulfil its potential like a squirrel who wont gather nuts because its nature had to much...more »

*Gizmodo*: *Facebook Employees Asked Mark Zuckerberg If They Should Try to Stop a Donald Trump Presidency * This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to publicly denounce the political positions of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign during the keynote speech of the company’s annual F8 developer conference. “I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as ‘others,’” Zuckerberg said, never referring to Trump by name. “I hear them calling for blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, for reducing trade, and in some cases, even fo...more »

The week at Retraction Watch featured a retraction from Nature, and a discussion of what it means to be an author on a paper with thousands of them. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: Is PubPeer’s Brandon Stell the ­­”vigilante of scientific publishing?” That’s what Steve Kolowich of The Chronicle of Higher Education says. “Our peer […] The post Weekend reads: PubPeer = vigilantes?; why journals cost what they do; who publishes most appeared first on Retraction Watch.

A video showing a 5-year-old as he tries to escape an upcoming paddling from officials at Jasper County Primary School in Georgia, has caused outrage after being shared on social media this week. The boys mother, Shana Perez said he was being punished for misbehaving and that she only consented to the paddling because she felt pressured as she had previously been arrested for truancy after Thomas had missed school for 18 days She said that as punishment for this offense, the principal gave her two options: Either have Thomas suspended or have him paddled. She said she believed she c...more »

*Peter Apps, Reuters*: *Why computers may never replace human spies* If legendary British spy-turned-KGB mole Kim Philby was alive to offer arrested U.S. Navy officer Edward Lin advice — regardless of his guilt or innocence — we know what it would be. Despite repeatedly coming under suspicion, Philby fed British and American secrets to Moscow for three decades before ultimately defecting in 1963. His survival, he told officers of the East German Stasi spy service in 1981, was partly down to organizational ineptitude and his privileged position as a member of Britain’s ruling class....more »

Its hard to descibe as close to impossbe; you lift my brain clean off at the first stage and after than I am all swimming in sucroce or something sweetre barely no no chance of functin in the swew spot of loving you I cant breathe I cant exist I cant take a step wihout you Love love love live you kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkl totaly lone survior wiht you

[image: Hillary Clinton] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department has agreed to a conservative legal group’s request to question several current and former government officials about the creation of Hillary Clinton’s private email system. The agreement filed late Friday with the U.S. District...more »

Our world is a sailboat in the galaxy and dont get me stared on the Universe been travelling in time forever and on whose dime that's the question the answer too I need to find travelling in time I am a tiny spec on the cruise ship earth which is a subatomic particle in the universe yes I am fucking small still somehow feel mighty oh the hubris that allows me to think I am important or that the Universe as expressed by God even cares if I care aboot thinking something needed for the universe to fulfil its potential like a squirrel who wont gather nuts because its nature had to much nurt...more »

US President Barack Obama sits next to the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah as Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with the His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani before the start of a working session of a summit meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at Camp David in Maryland on Thursday. Reuters/Camp David, Maryland *John Richard Cookson, National Interest:* *Does America Need Allies?* *John J. Mearsheimer and Richard Burt discuss U.S. options.* “Free riders aggravate me,” President Obama recently told the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldb...more »

I've been a student of the fetus freaks for years now. On their sites, stories are limited to a few categories. Some sites specialize in particular types of stories. The Amateur Statistician does what you'd expect from my nickname for her. Another fetishizes "botched" abortions. The SHRIEEEEEKY categories boil down to: • Number of abortions! YUGE! (China figures prominently here.) • Gruesome abortions! YUCK! (Fake photos here.) • "Botched" abortions! ANOTHER AMBULANCE CALLED TO XYZ ABORTUARY! (They seem to have people stationed permanently at clinics to watch for such events.) • Terri...more »

Gossiping about Boris and Dave on this morning's *Today*, BBC political correspondent Ben Wright told John Humphrys (14:53 in) that Boris had *"painted, in an interview with Laura *[Kuenssberg]*, this typically Panglossian picture of Britain outside the EU"*. Now either Ben doesn't know what 'Panglossian' means... ...or else he's just made a very biased statement about Boris Johnson there. Hopefully it's the former.

It is feared that dozens are trapped under rubble, as the death toll from two powerful Japanese earthquakes has risen to 40 As the search for survivors is in full swing, 90,000 people have been evacuated from their homes to safer locations. Landslide that destroyed bridge after Kumamoto earthquake https://t.co/Lct5ZLt4Xxpic.twitter.com/SgW8nAGQbg — Jascha Polet (@CPPGeophysics) April 16, 2016 Local media reported that rescue efforts were at risk as the quakes had triggered massive landslides, cutting off roads and destroying bridges. Just hours after the second deadly earthquake, th...more »

[image: Little Sisters of the Poor - 900-0000] The Little Sisters of the Poor and their allies have entered a new stage in their battle against the Obama administration’s requirement that they participate in insuring contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilization. After the Supreme Court heard oral arguments last month, it ordered...more »

[image: Pope Francis_900] MORIA, Greece (AP) -- Pope Francis implored Europe on Saturday to respond to the migrant crisis on its shores “in a way that is worthy of our common humanity,” during an emotional and provocative trip to Greece. The pope visited...more »

[image: Federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, right, stands with President Barack Obama as he is introduced as Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court during an announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington, Wednesday, March 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)] A month of full-court pressure from Democrats and liberal activist groups appears to have had no effect on Republican Senators’ opposition to approving Judge Merrick Garland for the U.S. Supreme Court. Garland met with six Republicans this week, including three...more »

[image: Puerto Rico] Legislation aimed at handling the Puerto Rico debt crisis is slated to be modified after lawmakers expressed concerns over its current state. House Speaker Paul Ryan gathered the Republican conference for a closed-door, policy-planning meeting on how to best address the...more »

A golf course in Shenzhen, China. The Communist Party has decreed that golf is not a crime. Photograph: Bobby Yip/Reuters *The Guardian: **Golf is no longer a crime, decrees China's Communist party* Once rejected as the sport of millionaires by Mao, China now says there is is ‘no right or wrong’ about playing golf Teeing off is not a crime, the Communist party of China has decreed, lifting millions of fairway fanatics out of the rough. Banned by Mao Zedong – who despised the “sport for millionaires” – golf enjoyed a renaissance during the 80s and 90s only to be outlawed for the pa...more »

*Something that puts the left-wing cry-bullies who call the tune in our "multiculturally correct" universities on the defensive* Check out Bill Whittle's cheeky new video commentary "Appropriate This!" Whittle's targets are students of color who attack whites who wear their hair in dreadlocks, or eat General Tho's chicken in the cafeteria, or have mariachi bands at their parties, or hang a Dream Catcher on the rear view mirror of their car. To leftists, these whites are cultural thieves rapaciously appropriating the intellectual property of oppressed minorities. Like all effe...more »

[image: Donald Trump speaks with supporters at a campaign rally at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 22, 2015.] CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has all but thrown in the towel in Wyoming ahead of Saturday’s Republican convention. The billionaire businessman’s campaign made a conscious decision not to commit resources to Wyoming, according to Alan Cobb,...more »

[image: NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - APRIL 16: Mayor of London Boris Johnson delivers a speech at a 'Vote Leave' rally at the Centre for Life on April 16, 2016 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Boris Johnson is taking part in a 48 hour 'Brexit Blitz' of campaigning in Northern England. Britain will vote either to leave or remain in the EU in a referendum on June 23. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)] LONDON (AP) -- London Mayor Boris Johnson has accused U.S. President Barack Obama of hypocrisy for supporting those who want Britain to stay in the European Union. Speaking just days ...more »

[image: An evacuee wrapped in a blanket sits at a shelter in Kumamoto city, Japan, Saturday, April 16, 2016. Powerful earthquakes struck the same area in southwestern Japan on successive nights. (Ryosuke Ozawa/Kyodo News via AP)] (Eds: Updates death toll to 41, headline, photo) MASHIKI, Japan (AP) -- Army troops and other rescuers rushed Saturday to try to reach scores of trapped residents after a pair of strong earthquakes in southwestern Japan killed at least 41...more »

*They're finally listening!* *Skeptics have been pointing out for years that the ice cores from past geological eras show CO2 increases lagging BEHIND temperature rises, disproving the alleged link to global warming. Heretofore the Warmists have just ignored that in their high and mighty way. But as the temperature "hiatus" gets longer and longer -- broken only by El Nino -- they are definitely getting more defensive. So in the latest edition of "New Scientist" (the Warmist house magazine) Catherine Brahic and Michael Le Page try to wriggle out of the pes...more »

Chris Hedges sees a bleak future for the United States. The ruins of post industrial America are all around. He describes what has happened in places like Elizabeth, New Jersey: Elizabeth was devastated by the 1982 closure of its Singer plant, which had been built in 1873 and at one time had 10,000 workers. The 1,000 or so African-Americans at the plant worked mostly in a foundry that made cast-iron parts for the sewing machines. The work was poorly paid and dangerous. White workers, many of them German, Italian, Irish, Jewish, Polish or Lithuanian immigrants, dominated the safer ...more »

As every major BBC current affairs programme seems to be starting up 'new series' after 'new series' on the EU referendum, *ITBB *won't be left out either. As BBC One's news bulletins are the place where most British people go to get their news - with, shockingly, some 48% getting it "only" from BBC One (if Ofcom is to be believed), we probably should focus on it a lot more. So, this is the start of a short season of posts looking at the EU referendum coverage on the BBC's *News at Six* (or its weekend equivalents) to see how this much-watched bulletin is handling the matter. To...more »

Bernie Sanders has started to increase his focus on the issues of fracking and the dangers of fracking-related methane pollution. A recent Gallup poll reported a growing opposition to fracking with only 25% of Democrats nationwide supporting it. ABC news reports: Last fall, Sanders introduced during sweeping legislation to ban the extract of any fossil fuels on federal lands, but in Binghamton, New York on Monday, the Vermont senator went even further, proposing a national ban on the controversial natural shale gas extraction technology. “In my view, if we are serious about safe and...more »

[image: Entrance to the Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colorado.] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials have no idea how long cleaning up Colorado's Gold King Mine and 47 other nearby mines will take or how much it will cost, but history shows it could take years, or even decades. The...more »

Last night's *BBC News at Ten* returned to the migrant crisis. It featured Richard Bilton reporting from the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour on the EU's latest response to the growing tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya and featured a short interview with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief. The report described how the EU is getting so accomplished at detecting and intercepting migrant vessels that the journey across the sea has become a lot safer. Rescue is now virtually guaranteed and interceptions are now happening much quicker. Perhaps not c...more »

Frankly, the LAV deal is a shitty deal for anyone in Canada but the Tories, and I honestly don't believe the Trudeau, Dion, and the rest like it any more than of us. I think they probably know they've got no good defence for their decision. They've got advisors looking at the tea leaves and wondering what the next of war in the region will look like. We've got no idea where and how any weapons in

[image: Anger, Angry, Pain, Screaming, Mad, Rage] Christ tells us to love our enemies. That's hard enough on the face of it, you'd think. But living as privileged Westerners in peace, comfort and safety makes that commandment even more challenging. Because most of us don't have any...more »

A U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant Uses An Army Issued Smartphone To Pull Up A Map For Afghan Villagers United States Army via Wikimedia *24/7 Wall St.:* *15 Commercial Products Invented by the Military* Violence and destruction are perhaps at the core of military activity, but military needs are also the source of innovation. A number of widely used commercial products today were originally developed for the purpose of helping the military defend the country. Many of the most popular consumer products today — items such as the microwave, Silly Putty, and juice concentrate — were originall...more »

*Science Alert:* *WATCH: How to survive a grenade blast, according to science* Are you better off on land or underwater? Picture this: you're hanging out with your buddy, having a few beers and admiring the pair of live hand grenades you just happen to have lying around, and all of a sudden... *insert random distraction here*. The grenades go flying, the handles come loose, and one lands on the ground, and the other in the pool. You've got zero time to decide, so do you a) take your chances on land, or b) dive into the pool and hope the water shields you from the blast? If you ha...more »

If (like me) you thought Katie Razzall's *Newsnight *report from Cornwall was biased towards Remain, then you might be in for a shock when you read her newly-published BBC News website article on the subject, *Cornwall: In or Out?*, because it's actually much worse. It begins: *Over the last 15 years, Cornwall has received more than £1bn of EU structural investment. Don't worry if that fact has passed you by. Plenty of the people I met in Cornwall appear to be unaware of it too.* She was about to try and change that. She then rehearsed the reasons, "from the Europhiles' perspect...more »

*Campgrounds springing up everywhere nowadays wherever land owners can clear flat space.* *“If you know it is a scam ring, do not participate in it. Do not make the world * *think that Taiwanese are all involved in these kinds of [shady] businesses,” he said.* Vox had a nifty piece on the Kenya deportation mess which tried to explain what is going on. Unlike most of the pieces in the media, this once actually referred, if sketchily, to the cross-strait organized crime nexus. These Taiwanese have attracted such interest from Beijing because they are allegedly members of Chinese an...more »

*Robert Beckhusen, National Interest:* *Revealed: Taiwan's Super 'Gun' Is Ready for War with China* The 240-millimeter M1 howitzer, or “Black Dragon,” was the heaviest piece of field artillery the U.S. Army deployed in World War II. The huge guns smashed the Axis Powers’ concrete fortifications in Europe to rubble, and blasted Chinese mountain bunkers during the Korean War. “There was little call for the type to be employed whenever the fighting was fluid as it took too long to emplace the weapons or get them out of action, but when they were used the heavy 163.3 kg (360-lb) high ...more »

*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Voice of America*: *Erdogan Steps Up Support of Azerbaijan in Karabakh Dispute * ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking a more assertive stance in the Caucasus following the latest fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. Perched between the Russian, Ottoman, and Persian empires, Armenia and Azerbaijan have a long history of tension that began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbai...more »

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a letter to the public on Thursday, informing them that they refuse to regulate a GMO vegetable, in a move which has caused many healthy food advocates concern. The letter says that the agency will not regulate a mushroom that has had its genes edited to prevent it from turning brown. Yahoo News reports: This is widely different from the approach it’s taken with GMOs, which are regulated by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which keeps an eye on new genetically modified organisms that “may pose a risk to pl...more »

Friday 15th April was tax day in America, where millions of Americans file their returns with the IRS so as to avoid being prosecuted for ‘illegally’ witholding tax. However, an IRS agent has recently come forward and admitted that not only is income tax fundamentally unconstitutional, but it is also illegal for the agency to demand that citizens pay it. Shtfplan.com reports: Moreover, the spending by the Federal government and the role of the Federal Reserve in issuing money create overlapping levels of evil that have driven the American people into mere serfs – albeit with cool to...more »

Mount Aso volcano erupts following violent earthquake streak in Japan (VIDEO) Published time: 16 Apr, 2016 01:00Edited time: 16 Apr, 2016 02:14 https://www.rt.com/news/339788-japan-volcano-eruption-quakes/ Since small eruptions had been recorded at Mt. Aso even before the series of deadly quakes hit the area on Thursday and Friday, the Japanese Meteorological Agency has reportedly decided to keep the alert level at 2 on a scale of 1-5....

Amid a media frenzy over the spread of the Zika virus worldwide, the CDC have been forced to admit that people are able to self-immunize against the virus, and have also suggested that Zika itself does not cause Microcephaly. On their own website, the Center for Disease Control, say: People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections. Naturalnews.com reports: In other words, a Z...more »

Authorities in Japan are urging members of the public to keep calm after a large volcano erupted on Saturday morning. The eruption follows Thursday’s 6.5. earthquake and Friday’s 7.0 – which many experts now believe to be a precursor to something much bigger. The government have decided to keep the alert level at a 2 out of 5, claiming they are not yet sure if the events are related. According to RT News: Plumes of smoke rose some 100 meters into the sky, according to local media and videos captured by witnesses. The eruption of Mt. Aso, located in southern Japan, was recorded at a...more »

Bill Nye “The Science Guy” has said that he believes that all climate change deniers should be locked away in prison, sharing the same views expressed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr in 2014. Kennedy said that he would favor giving climate diners “three hots and a cot at the hague with all the other war criminals” – an idea that Nye appeared to agree with in a recent interview. Offthegridnews.com reports: “Was it appropriate to jail the guys from ENRON?” Nye asked. “Was it appropriate to jail people from the cigarette industry who insisted that this addictive product was not addictive and ...more »

Robert De Niro has expressed sorrow for deciding to pull a controversial film confirming that the MMR vaccine causes autism – saying that his own son became autistic ‘overnight’ after receiving the vaccine from doctors. The actor and creator of the Tribeca Film Festival came under fire last week after caving into pressure from Big Pharma and pulling Andrew Wakefield’s new film Vaxxed: From Cover-up To Catastrophe. Dailymail.co.uk reports: ‘All I wanted is for the movie to be seen and people can make up their own judgement but you must see it,’ he said during an appearance on The To...more »

Tax returns show that democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders earned less in 2014 than Hillary Clinton did in just one of her almost 50 speeches that same year. Sanders earned slightly over $200,000 according to tax returns. The same figure that Clinton earned in a single day. Thehill.com reports: The Weekly Standard on Friday checked that with a CNN analysis from February, finding that Clinton gave multiple speeches in 2014 worth more than Sanders’s entire income that year. It said that the former secretary of State gave speeches worth $225,000 to GE, $325,000 for the Nat...more »

Facebook employees have urged CEO Mark Zuckerberg to prevent a Donald Trump presidency in 2017 – by asking him to outline a plan that will thwart his ability to campaign on social media. Zuckerberg partially addressed the issues raised by employees on an internal poll, by denouncing the political positions of Trump’s presidential campaign during a keynote speech at the annual F8 developer conference this week. “I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as ‘others,’” Zuckerberg said. “I hear them calling for blocking free expression, for slowi...more »

Ashton Carter speaks to Vox at the Pentagon. Johnny Harris and Joss Fong, VOX *Max Fisher, VOX:* *Full transcript: Vox interviews Defense Secretary Ash Carter* I sat down recently with Defense Secretary Ash Carter to discuss some of the most important strategic challenges facing the United States since the end of the Cold War, how those challenges have changed over the course of his career, and what he foresees will change in the future. You can read a feature article on Carter's vision of great power competition here, and watch a video on the blurring lines of deterrence here. An...more »

My accountant just e-mailed me that I'm not going to owe much on my taxes this year. Whew! But what a hassle the process is anyway! I think everyone agrees with that regardless of which political party you belong to. The Republican professional politician response though always involves killing the IRS and making it easier for the super-rich to cheat with even more alacrity than the already do. Blue Dogs and New Dems-- the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- often go along with the Republican schemes. Elizabeth Warren has a better idea. In the Senate today, she introduced the...more »

https://www.superstation95.com/index.php/world/1152 *CHINA SAYS "NO DOLLARS" FOR NEW YUAN* Post by U.S.Reporter Apr 13, 2016 In a shocking move likely to crush the US economy overnight, China is refusing to make its new gold-backed Yuan, convertible from or to US Dollars. The new Yuan will be introduced next Tuesday, April 19. When the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to add the Yuan to the basket of world currencies used for Global Reserves and International Trade, they wanted China to make the Yuan more reliable as a currency. Since then, China has almost un-pegged its Y...more »

[4/15/16, 3:13:35 PM] DENICE: *COMMANDER TERRAN. WE SEND ABREVIATED GREETINGS OF GRAND JUBILATION!. THERE IS "MOVEMENT" WE SEE NOW AS "SOME" DATA IS REVEALED TO YOUR EARTHSPHERE. WE ANTICIPATE A "FLURRY" OF "RELEASES" IN THE UPCOMING EARTHSPHERE "DAYS". PREPARE TO BE "FLOODED". ONCE THE DATA BEGINS TO "DRIP" IT WILL INDEED "BREAK THE DAM". MALLIEUN.* [4/15/16, 3:14:23 PM] Terran: *Was the news from Deutsche bank the start of that drip?* *http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-04-14/case-closed-deutsche-bank-confirms-silver-market-manipulation-legal-settlement-agree* *http://www.ze...more »

The State Department have reluctantly agreed to release telephone transcripts that prove former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was fully aware that the Benghazi attack was preplanned before the release of an online protest film. Clinton has, until now, claimed that she believed the attacks were due to “inflammatory material posted on the Internet”. Youngcons.com reports: From BizPacReview: The conservative political watchdog group Judicial Watch obtained a transcript of telephone call between the then-secretary of state and then-Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil. “We know t...more »

“The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is the closest cluster of galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo Cluster is so close that it spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon. With its heart lying about 70 million light years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, contains over 2,000 galaxies, and has a noticeable gravitational pull on the galaxies of the Local Group of Galaxies surrounding our Milky Way Galaxy. *Click image for larger size.* The cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so hot it g...more »

China's President Xi Jinping is set to roll out a new command structure that will solidify his control of the country's armed forces. In this photo, a picture of Xi seen behind soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army marching during a training session for a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War Two, at a military base in Beijing, China on Aug 22, 2015. Reuters/Damir Sagolj *Derek Grossman & Michael S. Chase, National Interest*: *Why Xi is Purging the Chinese Military* *China's president pulls a page from Mao's little red playbook.* Much has ...more »

*“Do Unto Others”* by Chet Raymo “If there is not a divinely prescribed code of morality, reinforced by reward or punishment in the afterlife, then why be good? Why not do any damn thing one pleases? We hear this argument a lot, particularly in this politically-charged season when religious fundamentalism appears to wield an inordinate amount of influence, at least on one side of the political divide. What about reason? Can reason prescribe good and bad? Well, lots has been written on the natural foundations of morality, by people more qualified than me, but let me mention somethi...more »

*The Telegraph*: *Aircraft carrier visit by Pentagon chief Ash Carter unleashes storm in South China Sea* A visit by the US defence chief to one of his country’s aircraft carriers is normally a routine part of the job, but not when it is sailing through the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The US is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the face of China’s aggressive bid to claim virtually the entire waters off its southern coast in the face of competing claims several other South East Asian states. Even before Ash Carter, the defence secretary, stepped off a helicopte...more »

*“Socrates’ Justice – Law and Disorder”* by Anya Leonard "Somewhere between the words of Socrates and the thoughts of Plato lies the profound question of what is ‘Just’. Is it defined by laws and men or is it something separate, something ideal? When one is wrongfully imprisoned, for example, is it okay to escape, to break the “law” as it is written? This was the quandary in which Socrates found himself when facing an unfair death sentence. Of course, we can’t be sure which ideas actually belong to Socrates or to Plato. We only know that "Crito," the second defense of Socrates, was...more »

A Nebraska judge has denied a prisoner’s lawsuit that claimed he was denied his right to worship his “God”, the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The defendant also claims he faced discrimination for his faith and was mocked for his beliefs. According to ABC: Stephen Cavanaugh sued the Department of Correctional Services and penitentiary officials in 2014 seeking $5 million and a court order mandating that inmates who practice FSMism receive the same rights and privileges as inmates who practice other religions. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday. He said in h...more »

*Reuters*: *Protesters demand fall of Egypt's government over islands deal* Thousands of Egyptians angered by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia called on Friday for the government to fall, chanting a slogan from the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Their protests signaled that the former general, who is also under mounting criticism over the struggling economy, no longer enjoys the broad public support that let him round up thousands of opponents after he seized power in 2013. In the evening, riot police who had surrounded the site of the...more »

The Grayson for Senate campaign is getting close to having it's 100,000th contributor. That 100,000th contribution is going to come in in the next few days. And Blue America is going to give whoever that person is a platinum album as rare in the world of Depeche Mode collectibles as Alan Grayson' policy of truth is in a corrupted Congress. The 1991 Violator album went platinum in Mexico and Warner Bros Music Mexico, the Depeche Mode label there made a dozen hand-crafted awards and one of those gorgeous plaques is the one that is being given away to the 100,000th donor. Grayson's ...more »

In July of 2014, at the height of preparation for the worst conflict between Israel and Palestine in recent history, Israeli troops gathered at the Gaza border. Hamas had been firing rockets into Israel for days at this point and Israel warplanes were now beginning to bomb Palestine. The St. Louis Post Gazette reports: The orders for the Givati brigade, an elite infantry unit, came in a typed, single-page letter. “History has chosen us to spearhead the fight against the terrorist Gazan enemy who curses, vilifies and abominates Israel’s God,” Colonel Ofer Winter, the unit’s commandin...more »

*“Meaning” * “When I die, I will see the lining of the world. The other side, beyond bird, mountain, sunset. The true meaning, ready to be decoded. What never added up will add Up, What was incomprehensible will be comprehended. And if there is no lining to the world? If a thrush on a branch is not a sign, But just a thrush on the branch? If night and day Make no sense following each other? And on this earth there is nothing except this earth? Even if that is so, there will remain A word wakened by lips that perish, A tireless messenger who runs and runs Through interstella...more »

[image: MYTELENE, GREECE - MARCH 09: Migrants and Refugee from Afghanistan and Syria stand in line at the Port of Mytelene prior boarding a ferry, which will bring 500 refugees to Athens, on March 9, 2016 in Mytelene, Greece. 10 boats arrived during the night and day, 400 refugees and migrants were picked up by the Greek Coast Guard and the German Search and rescue team (SAR). Joined Forces of the Standing NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Maritime Group 2, are patrolling the coast of the greek Island of Lesbos and the turkish coast. Turkey has announced on Monday to take ba...more »

*“They favored policies that created “equal opportunity” and fostered “individual rights,” instead of those designed to eradicate the structural underpinnings of racial segregation and economic inequity.”—Professor Lily Geismer, "Atari Democrats", Jacobin* Thomas Frank has a new book out. While I've only read excerpts from his previous works, and several of his essays, I think Paul D'Amato sums up Frank well in that he: "offers some important food for thought–but it’s more of a snack than a full meal." That said, given the precariousness of public education in this era of neoliber...more »

Today, April 15 - 4/15 in North America - the Fight for 15 and Fairness made another leap forward. All over the US and Canada, and in countries all over the world, workers marched, walked out, rallied, chanted, and demonstrated, for themselves, and for all of us. No matter what we earn, our communities will benefit when everyone is paid a living wage. Looking back on last year's 4/15, the successes have been nothing short of amazing. Alberta, California, and New York State join the cities of Seattle and New York in pledging a $15/hour minimum wage. The two US states are moving way t...more »

The Irving press hasn't said much about The Leap Manifesto by the NDP. We get a never ending series of commentaries by Liberal and Conservative politicians, none of them with anything useful to say. But rarely, if ever, a commentary from any other party. In fact, The Leap Manifesto is about a series of quite necessary issues we have to deal with. (Of course, it's possible these are issues Mr. Irving does not care to deal with.) Anyway, The Globe and Mail, not having the high standards of the Irving press, has published a commentary on it. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/sorr...more »

Some great news for everyone.. My friend and colleague, Whitewraithe, is finally back from her hiatus.... Her computer is finally up and running after months of being disabled, and she is again writing articles over at Pragmatic Witness (www.whitewraithe.wordpress.com)..... Please take the time to go over to her site and give her some "welcome back" wishes if you can..... And yes, we are finally discussing the relaunch of our "Turbulent Times" shows over Blogtalk radio.... I will let everyone know here at NTS when our newest show is on air..... Welcome back, Whitewraithe.. You we...more »

[image: OPM - 900] Federal employees may not be able to hide union business done on taxpayers' dime much longer. Government workers have long conducted union work on the clock while collecting their taxpayer-funded salaries, with little public attention. But a new bill making its...more »

"Keep working. Keep trying. Keep believing. You still might not make it, but at least you gave it your best shot. If you don't have calluses on your soul, this isn't for you. Take up knitting instead." - David Eddings

“Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other. The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, for instance, the intellect, suddenly atrophy or fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up establishing an autonomous position toward the emerging ci...more »

*MmmmMmmmGOOD!* I've missed doing my *'chemical manipulation of humanity' *series, so today there are two posts on the subject! Below is the second. phthalate filled- yummy *People who eat a lot of fast food may be exposed to higher amounts of certain chemicals in plastics that are believed to disrupt human hormones and possibly cause cancer, according to a U.S. study.* Researchers found that *people who eat the most fast food have up to 39 per cent more of two industrial chemicals called phthalates in their blood* than those who eat less, or no fast food at all. *“We found a sign...more »

*Jared Malsin, Time*: *The Fate of Two Deserted Islands Has Egyptians Taking to the Streets Again* *Egyptians in Cairo and Alexandria protested the handover of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, a sign of new pressure on President Sisi.* Protesters in Egypt defied police on Friday staging some of the largest demonstrations in the country in more than a year in order to denounce the government’s decision to hand control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. The protests follow a long period in which major demonstrations had vanished from the central districts of Cairo and Alexa...more »

*"Society is Reaching Critical Mass"* By Robert Arvay "There is a limit to how much stress can be put on something before it is finally and irreversibly destroyed. It goes by several different names. Critical mass, tipping point, and system overload are but a few. In each case, the term refers to an event that finally breaks the camel’s back (to use yet another term for the same thing). Society is not merely reaching its critical mass; it is reaching it so swiftly that predictably, there will be an abrupt and catastrophic breakdown of historic proportions, eclipsing even the fall o...more »

Documents leaked in 2014 from a senior military official linked to the left-wing “Meretz” party, appear to show an aligned military cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. What could this mean for the future? From the MP.com: This agreement is concluded to Saudi Arabia and Israel management on Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal and the Red Sea littoral countries as well. Published information from this source mention in duty of a host by Israel of a number of officers Arabia to participate in military training courses in the base of poloniu...more »

A group of activists from over 30 different countries are planning mass protests over Norway’s legal “kidnapping” of children Demonstrations against the Norwegian Child Welfare Service are taking place on Saturday in what the activists call the agency’s practice of “kidnapping” children from their families. According to The Local: After a wave of demonstrations over the past several months, the Norwegian Child Welfare Service (Barnevernet) will be the subject of a coordinated ‘day of action’ that could draw as many as 300,000 people, organizers told The Local. Spurred by a high-prof...more »

An astonishing new brain implant has allowed a paralyzed man to move again Ian Burkhart was involved in a swimming accident five years ago that left him paralyzed and unable to use his hands, but he is now able to perform a multitude of tasks from pouring water to playing video games. GeoBeats News reports: The technology was developed by researchers from both Ohio State University and Batelle Research. It operates by allowing brain signals to bypass Burkhart’s damaged spinal cord and be delivered directly to the appropriate muscles. The microchip that picks up the pulses is implante...more »

*Netanyahu admits that which is already well know about Israel’s involvement in Syria!* *JP* *Aerial bombing of Syria: * *"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week for the first time acknowledged openly that Israel has engaged in air action to interdict the transfer of sophisticated weapons systems from Syrian soil to Hezbollah in Lebanon.“We act when we need to act, including here, across the border, with dozens of strikes meant to prevent Hezbollah from obtaining game-changing weaponry,” Netanyahu said during a visit to military units on the Golan Heights"* Israel has engag...more »

[image: teacher - 900] A rising tide of regulation has covered almost a third of the U.S. labor market. Workers who previously could find a job on the strength of their experience and talent now need their state government's permission before taking a job....more »

[image: U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a statement on economy at the James Brady Press Briefing of the White House April 5, 2016 in Washington, DC. President Obama made a statement in response to the Treasury Department announcement on corporate tax inversions that would stop companies from avoiding U.S. taxes by moving their tax base overseas.] Last week's Daily Signal op-ed on a new regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency provided an informative crash course on the history of private property rights and its relation to the Clean Water Act. Judging by the transcripts...more »

*CNN:* *7.0 quake strikes Japan after earlier one kills 9* (CNN)Daybreak in Japan should reveal the extent of the damage from a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck early Saturday in Kyushu island, the same region hit by a 6.2 quake two days earlier. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the latest quake struck just west-southwest of Kumamoto-shi and about 8 miles south-southeast of Ueki, the epicenter of the late Thursday tremor that left nine dead. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured or killed as a result of Saturday's seismic event. Nor was it clear how mu...more »

$1,400,000,000,000: Oxfam Exposes the Great Offshore Tax Scam of US Companies“A Crisis Point in Our Democracy:” Why Progressive Leaders and Thousands of Others Will Risk Arrest This WeekClinton and Goldman: Why It MattersThe Fed Sends a Frightening Letter to JPMorgan and Corporate Media Yawns The Cruz strategy has been gamed by the Don's. And when you compare them, the Don wins. The

*Tea and pastries are on Wall Street* Yesterday I was upstairs putting on my shoes and socks and MSNBC was on. Andrea Mitchell was in the middle of an interview with Kirsten Gillibrand, the upstate New York politician who was appointed to Hillary's Senate seat in 2009 when Obama gave Hillary the Secretary of State job. Wikipedia correctly defines her politics with this description: "A member of the Democratic Party's relatively conservative Blue Dog faction while in the House, Gillibrand has been seen as a progressive since her appointment to the Senate. In both cases, her views wer...more »

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) stands at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/STRINGER *Reuters*: *Iran's Soleimani in Russia for talks on Syria, missiles: sources* Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani has flouted an international travel ban and flown to Moscow for talks with Russia's military and political leadership on Syria and deliveries of Russian missiles, sources said on Friday. The main purpose of his visit...more »

Thousands of people from across the UK are expected to gather in central London on Saturday in protest against the government’s austerity measures. They will also be calling for the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron over recent revelations of offshore investment funds linked to his family. This will not be the first call for Cameron to step down following the Panama Papers leak; there was a protest in London last week where demonstrators chanted “Resign! Resign!” outside 10 Downing Street. RT reports: The demonstration through the center of the capital will end on Trafalg...more »

Search This Blog

Translate

Microsoft Translate

opit or oldephartte's shared items

About Me

I've been 'around' for a few years now, pursuing the shifting goal of a sharable home-made surfers resource site focused on ease of use and variety of mostly adult ( whoa : I didn't say prurient ) content.